Professor Peater P. Groumpos, Emeritus Professor, University of Patras
Crist is born!! But today earth does not have peace!!
On Christmas Day, we remember the words of the Angels as they sang: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men". Did this angelic Psalm fail?; Because more than two thousand years after the humble birth of Christ, the "multi-secularized-civilized" societies of the planet are plagued by: spiritual cancer of corruption, the amok of violence and hatreds, incomprehensible war conflicts, extreme greed, a multiform selfishness, violation of the normality of nature, oppression of the weak by the not logically thinking strong, the destruction of the environment, poverty in many parts of the planet, etc.
HOWEVER:
In their poisonous energies, the only salutary remedy is offered gratuitously by the Incarnate Word of God. The reaction of faithful Christians and every person can be nothing but an experience and an offer of love with humility and a sacrificial disposition as revealed by the Incarnate love of the born Christ.
The birth of “God to human” is the culmination of Divine Economy. God sends His only begotten Son to preach His Word. When Jesus Christ reaches the age of 30, He appears in public and begins to preach the Word of God. He begins his activity after the age of 30, just as the Jewish law permitted. He sets a good example of respecting the laws of the people He lived in. The crowds hear His words, hear His teaching, and are amazed at His many miracles. They are amazed to confess that «no man ever spoke, as such a man!!». To emphasize Himself that " My teaching is not Mine, but of Him who sent Me!!».
Historically, the birth of Christ is the greatest event in world history, the historicity of which is undeniable. This is an unprecedented and unprecedented historical event. But why only Christ's birth has this unique historical value. For it alone has something historically "different," which history itself has sought through the ages. Without this "different" the birth of Christ would be overshadowed by the birth of many other great men such as e.g. Alexander the Great. The mere fact that the birth of Christ has been continuously celebrated for more than two thousand years by large crowds all over the globe, is sufficient to prove the above-mentioned truth!
Let us ALL open our hearts so that the "WORD OF GOD", the “Light of Knowledge” and “The Truth”, may enter into its depths, so that Ιt may enliven our existence in the new year. Let us pray that God will grant us faith and patience to accept trials in peace, and by His grace transform them into opportunities for spiritual maturity and sanctification. May the “Incarnate Divine Word” guide the course of our "troubled world " to safe harbors.
On these holy days many wonderful and remarkable messages are written and transmitted from all over the world. So, I decided to close my thoughts with a few words from an old poem by Georgios Veritis (alias of Alexandros Gyalas), which I humbly think yields very nicely the answers to the above questions:
So much walking, so much pain!
Like what is it you are looking for
in the darkness where you are turning around,
night soldiers?
What are we looking for? “Light”, wayfarer:
It is the deep desire,
of every human soul.
Like what might be the path,
so that it will take us to the “Light”?
Ah! none of us knows this path!
But I know God's Path,
the bloodstained path that arrives,
in the martyred wreath
and then goes to the Calvary.
Let us follow this path, let us follow this path:
from the Manger of Bethlehem to the Cross of Calvary!
I was also able to find the “Light” of God
the Holy “Light” you are looking for.
(Personal remark: What a nice Greek poem in translation describing the birth of Christ).
May the Born Christ deliver us from all forms of captivity to egocentrism and make us worthy to live the "Light of Knowledge" with simplicity and humility of soul.
Let us welcome the New Year with physical well-being and genuine love in our hearts and in every day of 2024. Finally, let us pray that the wars throughout the world will cease so that the "glory in the glory of God and in the peace of the Earth" will become a reality.
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